Activist Nuru Maloba Okanga has been released on Ksh 100,000 cash bail after facing charges in a Nairobi court for publishing threatening information. Okanga was accused of knowingly and unlawfully posting false, defamatory, and threatening content through Riba News @ribanews, Siasa tv.ke backup, and the YouTube channel/Google website account named RIBA NEWS aribanews.
The prosecution alleged that Okanga posted a video captioned “NURU OKANGA RIGATHI GACHAGUA PIGA RUTO RISASI,” which was intended to cause fear and panic among Kenyan citizens and damage the reputation of the country’s executive leadership.
Okanga denied the charges before Milimani Senior Principal Magistrate Bernard Ochoi. His lawyer, Shadrack Wambui, pleaded for lenient bond terms, highlighting Okanga’s difficult personal circumstances. Wambui noted that Okanga is a Form 1 student living off the benevolence of well-wishers, is married with a child, and has a wife who is unwell. Additionally, his child is currently admitted at Kenyatta National Hospital with severe kidney issues.
The court granted Okanga release on a Ksh 200,000 bond, with an alternative option of Ksh 100,000 cash bail.
